"Go
West, young man" is a phrase often credited to the American author Horace Greeley
concerning America's expansion westward, related to the then-popular concept of
Manifest Destiny. My great grandfather traveled west to homestead on the Great
Plains. That’s where my grandfather was born - in a sod cabin. I’m not old as
dirt, but I am a trailing edge baby boomer with both pre-digital and digital
world footprint. That makes me a “digital immigrant,” while my children, all born after
1980, are considered “digital natives.” Technology age gap or digital divide, I
don’t really care what you call it, but it’s a form of segmentation that often bugs
me. I suppose it’s because I disagree with the notion that, in general, digital
immigrants are not supposed to find the change brought on by digital
transformation natural to their life.

Sure, over 150 years ago, in the charge to go West seldom were
mentioned the hardships of the climate, the isolation or the lack of
conveniences seen in the populated states back east. The West tested the
courage and strength of every man, woman, and child and often only the strong
survived. But they did survive, and in fact they thrived. Are you a digital
immigrant? Have you ventured west on the digital media trail? If you have
experienced hardship on your digital journey and feel like you’re stranded, don’t
despair. Here are a couple of trail markers to get you back on track.

Create a Roadmap

What’s that - you loaded up your wagon without a roadmap? You don’t
like to ask for directions and decided you would just follow the first trail
headed west. Well, at this point you may be retracing your steps back East to
the old family farm. In many ways, executing your personal digital
transformation is similar to a westward journey. A digital journey is about
lifelong learning that requires a vision of what you’d like to achieve, a map, as
well as some determination. Digital goals often involve different social media platforms
such as, LinkedIn, Twitter, Facebook, Google+, YouTube and Pinterest just to
name a few. And let’s face it, the social part of the World Wide Web can feel
like the Wild Wild West because the competition between those applications often
goes against the pioneering spirit to work together. Adding mileage to your
journey, your personal learning curve may need to include using those
applications on a smart phone, tablet, and a personal computer. The challenge
will be aligning your strategy across applications and devices in the limited
amount of time you have budgeted each day for learning. Remember, the pioneers
didn’t cross the Great Plains in one day, and you can’t learn all about social
media in a one hour webinar. It’s a lifelong journey. Circle your wagons around
one platform and one device; when you feel comfortable, break camp and move to
the next.

Check Your Compass Regularly

A compass is an instrument for determining directions by means of
a needle that indicates true north. Your digital compass or dashboard is a set
of regularly tracked measures directly linked to the metrics that matter most
(your true north) to your digital vision and strategy. You don’t have to
measure everything and your dashboard doesn’t need to be technology based. Sure,
you can use Hootsuite or some other social
media dashboard application; but if you are just starting out, learning how to
use another software application may just frustrate you. Measuring, analyzing
and acting on your key metrics will help keep your digital journey on track.

My grandfather died before the digital age really took off. But he
experienced firsthand the way transportation was changed by automobiles and air
planes, how communication was changed by the telephone, and how indoor plumbing
and electricity improved the comfort of our homes. He even watched a man walk
on the moon. Lots of people have lived to see the before, during and after
pictures of some form of industrial revolution or technology transformation. In
general, it’s called progress. And progress is what makes all of us immigrants
when it comes to change.